The Cry of a Child
by SamandDianeOTP
Summary: Taking place in Maine. A focused Diane Chambers takes a day off from writing and decides to spend it in a local park. The day was meant for relaxation but a little, lost girl changes that plan.


It was a beautiful, sunny summer day in Maine. The sun was at its highest as Diane Chambers made her way through a local park. In a light, blue summer dress and a smile on her lips she whistled and swung her arms as she walked through the park. In her right arm she held notebook. She spotted a bench a few feet away and turned to walk towards it. When she reached the bench and sat down, she sighed deeply. She had now been in Maine for some weeks. Most of the time had gone by with writing but today she'd decided to take the day off to clear her mind and get some inspiration. But mostly; to relax. Therefore she had brought her notebook so if she would come up with something she could write it down immediately. She took a look around. In front of her there was a huge grass area, children used for play. Most of them ran around. Some played hide and seek. But then Diane spotted a girl placed in the middle of all this. She sat on the ground with the face turned down. She was deeply concentrated with this book of hers. Clearly annoyed by all the noise that surrounded her, she covered her ears with the hands. This made her drop something of hers. Diane leaned forward to see what. Apparently it was some sort of teddy. The girl noticed that she had dropped the teddy and quickly, she picked it up. Diane found the girl quite interesting. Somehow she reminded her of herself in that age. This girl had long, brown hair though. It was braided in two braids. Diane couldn't see the color of her eyes, but other parts of her were quite similar to an 8 year old Diane Chambers. Forgetting all about her notebook, Diane folded hands and observed the girl for some time. After a while she turned her gaze on the notebook again and decided to focus on that instead. She sat there for hours, but nothing came to her mind. She sighed and laid the notebook on the bench. She turned to see that all the children were heading home. Except one.  
The girl she had noticed earlier. She was still caught in her book, and didn't notice what was going on around her. The sun had slowly begun to set and the lack of people in the park made Diane wonder when the little girl would close her book and leave. The entire time she had been alone. Diane had seen no sight of a parent or what so ever to the girl. Just as Diane was about to close her notebook, she saw the girl move out of the corner of the eye. Her gaze fell yet again on the little girl, who had now closed her book and was desperately trying to spot someone. She did some quick moves. First to the left, then to the right, and then to the left again. But she didn't find what she was looking for. If it had been 10 minutes ago, Diane wouldn't have heard what the girl said because of all the noise, but now she her it loud and clear.  
_"Mom?"  
_Diane swallowed as she realized that the girl had lost the sight of her mother. Something Diane had tried once before as a child and definitely didn't want other to experience, even though she knew, it happened all the time. Diane tried to spot a potential mother, but the only people left in the park were either runners or dog owners. The girl looked lost, and Diane was with no doubt not comfortable about the situation. After some horrible minutes trying to look for her mother, the girl broke into tears. Diane closed the notebook and hurried to the girl. When she reached her, she bent down and laid a hand on her shoulders. The girl lifted her head and was disappointed to see that it wasn't her mother in front of her, but a stranger.  
"Hey, don't cry," Diane tried.  
"Who are you?" the girl sobbed.  
"My name is Diane Chambers, I was just sitting over by the bench when I-"  
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," the girl said strictly.  
"Well, I only want to help you-"  
"How can I know for sure?"  
Diane made eye contact with the girl. Her eyes were a true copy of her own. This paralyzed Diane completely. Never before had she seen another person with the exact same eye color as herself.  
It made her feel like there was a connection between the two of them.  
"You can't of course. But I can assure you, I'm here to help."  
The girl analyzed Diane's eyes.  
"Alright. I trust you."  
Diane smiled and laid her hand on the girls.  
"What's your name?"  
"Samantha."  
Diane swallowed suddenly reminded of someone.  
"Well, Samantha, let's find you mom, shall we?"  
Diane rose from the grass and helped Samantha up.  
"Samantha…What a pretty name."  
"My grandmother picked it. She told me that many great people of her generation were named Samantha. My dad thinks it a bit too fashionably. He just calls me Sam."  
Yet again Diane had to swallow when pictures of Sam- not Sam as in 'Samantha' but Sam as in 'Sam Malone'- came to her mind. She hadn't spoken to him for weeks. To be exact they hadn't spoken to each other since the night she left. They had decided not to contact each other while she was in Maine so that she could focus on her novel. A deal she had now regretted. She wanted to speak with him so badly that it hurt every time she found herself unable to. She couldn't see the big deal with one or two phone calls within a period of a month or so. But apparently Sam thought it was wise not to. And she respected that. After all, he only wanted the best for her, and this period of separation would only get them closer, she was sure. But only a few weeks had gone by, and this period would last for six months. Samantha's hand in hers made her come back to the present.  
"I have a friend named Sam," Diane said and squeezed Samantha's hand as she began to walk.  
"You do? How is he or she?"  
"He's wonderful," Diane said and smiled at the girl.  
"Where do you know him from?" Samantha asked interested.  
"I know him from Boston."  
"You've lived in Boston?"  
"Yes, and I still do. I'm just on a little sort of… vacation."  
"Well, if you're on vacation why isn't he with you?"  
"Well, it's not really a vacation-vacation. I have to write a novel."  
"And you can't write back home?"  
"I guess, I could, but I write better when I'm more focused, you know."  
"He distracts you?"  
"You could sort of say it that way, yeah."  
"Oh."  
Samantha swung her arm. The one she had the teddy and book in. Diane noticed that the teddy was a cat.  
When they reached the end of the park Diane stopped.  
"Where was the last place you saw your mother?"  
"Uhm, I think it was by a bench close to where I was sitting."  
"But she wasn't there now?"  
"No."  
"Could it be possible that she has gone home?"  
"No, mom never leaves me by myself."  
Diane nodded sad.  
"Well, is there somewhere else you could think of where she might could be?"  
"I don't think so. She usually tells me if she goes somewhere. She always returns a couple of minutes afterwards."  
"Well, let's keep on walking and see if we spot her somewhere close to where we sat."  
Samantha nodded, and they continued their walk.  
"This Sam guy," she said and made eye contact with Diane.  
"How long have you known him?"  
"About 5 years."  
"How did you meet?"  
"You're a curious little girl, aren't you?"  
She chuckled.  
"Well, we met by coincidence in his bar."  
"He owns a bar?"  
"He sure does."  
"Wow. I always wanted to see how a bar looks like from the inside, but I'm too young."  
"A girl of your intellect is interested in bars?" Diane asked surprised.  
"Hey, how do you know I'm smart?"  
"I know the book, you're reading. People in your age don't usually read that kind of stuff."  
"You read a lot too?"  
"I sure do."  
"Well you should. You are a writer after all."  
A writer. She was seen as a writer now. She knew that's what she had told her that she was, but still, this new image was new to her. She was no longer a cocktail waitress. She was a writer. Finally.  
"Now, we have talked an awfully lot about me. What about you? What are your interest besides books and bars?"  
"I like to paint."  
"Really? What do you paint?"  
"Mainly flowers. I love flowers. They're beautiful, they smell good too, and there's so many of them!"  
"Hmm. Something else I should know about you?"  
"Well, I'm a bit of an outsider at school. They say that I'm boring and that I live my life in books."  
"Just because you're interests are different from others doesn't mean that they aren't just as fun as theirs!"  
"I don't know…I'm thinking about putting the books aside and try to be as everyone else for a change."  
"No! You shouldn't do that! Sam, listen. When I was your age, books were my only friends besides my cat. My dad was worried about me because I wasn't very social, and he thought that I would never meet someone. 'A mate' as my mother calls it. Sometimes I wish that I had chosen people instead of books, but if I had done that, I wouldn't have been the person I've become today. Then I would be just as everybody else. And nothing is more boring than being like everyone else. Special, you see, that's something."  
"You don't regret anything?"  
"No, absolutely not."  
"But you changed later, didn't you?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, when you met Sam? Didn't you change?"  
"Why do you think I changed when I met Sam?"  
"Sam's not a book. That means that you chose a person over a book."  
Diane looked stunned at the little girl. Then she smiled.  
"I guess you're right. I did change. It's funny how one person can have that big effect on your life," Diane said completely caught in her own mind.  
"But then you must've had some kind of effect on his life too."  
Diane realized that this girl wasn't just smart of her age. She was brilliant. She made her relive things, she had went through with Sam, realizing, just how much they both had changed through the years. Her need for Sam was huge right now and she had trouble covering her emotions for Samantha.  
"You know," Samantha said.  
"I think you miss him just as I miss my mom right now."  
"You never know what you got until it's gone," Diane said near tears.  
"But at least they're not gone forever in our case."  
"No. No they are not," Diane smiled.  
They walked some minutes in silence. The lights in the park just turned on as Samantha asked another question.  
"You have any children?"  
The question came sudden.  
"No, I don't have any _a yet_."  
"So you want to have children?"  
"Someday I will."  
"Boys or girls?"  
"I would like one of each."  
"And what would you call them?"  
"I haven't given that so much thought a yet. Sam and I weren't completely-"  
Suddenly she realized that she hadn't told Samantha that Sam was more than just a friend.  
"Oh well, I guess you now know that Sam is more to me than just-"  
"I know. I've known all along."  
"Of course you have," Diane smirked.  
"Well, I don't know if you're married?"  
"We're engaged to be."  
"Congratulations! When's the wedding?"  
"When I return, I guess."  
"Why didn't you get married before you left?"  
Diane was caught off guard. She couldn't explain the whole thing to Samantha. She couldn't even explain it to herself. Why Sam didn't want to marry that night, she wasn't sure of. She still thinks that he has this disbelieve in her return. And it hurt. It hurt like crazy. That the man she loved didn't put his faith in her. Why did he think would go wrong that would make her stay away? Or maybe…What would go right? Did he really believe that she would abandon him for success?  
"When the time comes, I think you will be a wonderful mother."  
Suddenly Diane felt like calling a cab, pack her bags and go home. Home-home. She would run into his arms and find the comfort, she needed, letting him know that he was all that mattered. Diane was homesick.  
"Thank you, Samantha," she whispered with tears running down her cheeks.  
"No, problem Ms. Chambers."  
"Please, call me Diane."  
"Alright, Diane."  
And just then, they heard someone yelling.  
"Samantha? Samantha, where are you?"  
"That's my mom!"  
"Come on," Diane said and began to run.  
After a few minutes running they spotted a woman in the other end of the park.  
"Mom!" Samantha yelled and ran towards her mother.  
Diane let go of her hand and saw how her small legs moved across the grass.  
She ran right into the arms of the woman who immediately lifted her from the ground.  
Diane stood for a while and observed them. She wanted that to be herself one day. She who embraced a little child of her own.  
Once again caught in her own mind she didn't realize that Samantha was standing in front of her. Diane bent down and the girl embraced her.  
"Thanks for helping me."  
"It was my pleasure."  
"Here," Samantha said and gave Diane a piece of paper.  
On the paper there was an address and a phone number.  
"Call or come by anytime."  
"I will, Samantha. Take care," she said and stroke her cheek.  
"You too, Diane."  
They hugged one more time and then let go. Samantha waved as she started to move backwards to her mother. At last she turned around and ran.  
Diane saw how she reunited with her mother by taking her hand. Then they walked out of the park in a slow pace. Just before they were out if sight, she heard Samantha yell.  
"I hope it work out for you and Sam!"  
Diane smiled as she sighed in relief.  
"I hope so too," Diane whispered. "I hope so too."


End file.
